The Winnipeg Blue Bombers lost one of their biggest fans, Monday, when David Leitch passed away, at age 23.

Leitch was first featured in the pages of the Winnipeg Sun three years ago.

As a close friend of the late assistant coach Richard Harris and former Bomber quarterback Alex Brink, Leitch credited the Bombers for giving him a reason to live, in an article in September, 2010.

Born with spina bifida and confined to a wheelchair, Leitch attended not just every home game, but virtually every Bomber practice for four years.

Players and coaches all got to know him, and he became the unofficial team photographer — the players even bought him a new camera — posting his photos on Facebook or Twitter.

“David is a Bomber,” receiver Terrence Edwards said in 2010. “He’s a part of the team.”

Leitch was in the news again this season when the Bombers implemented a new policy that kept him off the sidelines at practice, and he stopped attending.

But he remained a season-ticket holder and kept attending games. He didn’t let his disability keep him from cracking jokes or going out on the town, either.

Tributes to his spirit were all over Twitter, Monday.

“RIP David Leitch,” Brink tweeted. “If u didn’t get a chance to meet him, u missed out. A spark in my life and many others. The strongest person I ever knew. My life changed when I met this guy.”

“If I ever felt bad for myself for a second, I looked at David Leitch who battled daily just to complete the small tasks we take for granted,” current Bombers quarterback Justin Goltz said, also via Twitter. “RIP, David. I took more from our friendship than you’ll ever realize.”

“He was a fighter and a great kid who was a true blue bomber fan,” added former head coach Paul LaPolice.

Leitch had survived several health scares, most recently a bout with pneumonia, just last week.

“Sad day,” former Bombers quarterback Joey Elliott said, also via Twitter. “David Leitch, a true fan and apart of the #QBcrew passed away! I will always remember playing catch with him.”